A fire broke out at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall of IIT Kharagpur on Sunday. The incident was possibly caused by a short circuit and no injuries have been reported.
DESK – Panic ensued when a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall of IIT Kharagpur.
The inferno was believed to have started due to a short circuit in the storeroom on the first floor.
Two fire tenders were dispatched to the scene and successfully managed to contain the fire, preventing it from spreading to the second floor.
A student remarked on twitter: “Fire accident at IIT Kharagpur. In common room there was luggage of so many students who left the hostel in the semester break. The fire vehicle has come after an hour but it couldn’t save all the luggage that got burnt. Thank God it couldn’t spread out.”
He further remarked: “At Lal Bahadur Shastri hall of residence, around 2am in the common room fire caught due to short circuit,as of now it is still not under total control and the second fire vehicle has arrived.
He further added: “Fire is very much under control but the damage has done and those students who would have left their documents/academic record file along with luggage in the common room will have the tough time. Everyone is safe and secure and all are waiting for fire to be completely diminished.”
Despite this, the heat from the fire turned the wall up to the fourth floor black.
According to the IIT administration, the fire began around 2:10 AM in the common room of Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall of Residence.
Upon receiving the information, the security control room immediately notified the Kharagpur Fire Service Office and the Fire Service Office of the Air Force Station at Salua for necessary assistance.
The fire was completely extinguished by 4:30 AM with the combined efforts of all available security personnel from WBF&ES fire services, AFS Salua, and IIT Kharagpur.
Fortunately, no student or staff member was injured in the incident.
Immediately after the fire broke out, all students residing in the hall were evacuated to safer locations.
Rooms filled with smoke were ventilated by opening all doors and windows.
The fire caused damage to the common room, which was filled with mattresses, pillows, and other belongings of students who had left the campus for the summer vacations.
The institute has set up a committee to investigate the incident.
